LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 37
37. Welcome, This is Your First Time in My Room? (1)
“I definitely flew here. Where did it go?”
“There are still traces of water. Since she injured her leg, she couldn’t have gone far.”
Strange thugs that looked like evil spirits were surveying the lakeside.
Those four figures were none other than the Shadow Brigade from the Papias Kingdom.
They were a mob that made life difficult for players by transforming into shadows and mist.
They would appear as enemies in the latter half of this chapter.
Why are they already attacking Luska when they were supposed to debut later?
This doesn’t seem like the time for them to clash yet.
“Could she move with her broken body? How annoying.”
I overheard their conversation.
What I heard was very shocking.
“She really isn’t an ordinary woman. She’s been tailing the prince for a while and knows our code phrase. She definitely knows something. Find her!”
Luska knew the code phrase?
Since she was also a soldier from the Papias Kingdom, it was possible she picked it up over her shoulder.
But how did they realize that fact?
If they truly sensed Luska’s identity, it would be quite troublesome.
Fortunately, since this place is the Academy, they wouldn’t kill witnesses like usual.
However, torturing her and erasing her memories would definitely be an option.
If Luska got caught by them, her memories of revenge would likely be erased.
That would create complications for this final boss battle.
“How did our code phrase leak? Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely. While I was cleaning around the Student Council Building, I heard that woman reciting the code phrase in front of some student. Clearly!”
They mentioned cleaning around the Student Council Building?
Just those few words seemed to fit the puzzle together.
On the weekend, I ran into Luska in front of the building. She asked me then.
– What was the angle of the sandstorm?
‘Could it be because of that…!’
Things have gotten too tangled up.
The last check I asked about the code phrase sparked this chaos!
I inhaled in shock.
– Gah!
“Is that you?”
The thugs quickly turned their gazes toward the bushes where I was hiding.
They reacted even to the sound of my breath.
One of them transformed into a shadow and swiftly approached, cutting down the tree that had been shielding Luska and me in an instant.
“Huh?”
Certainly, there should have been a presence there, but now there was no one. Just two logs were left in the spot where we had been.
“Did I fail to sense something?”
He lamented whether he had been too sensitive.
Seeing a stump in the middle of the forest is quite natural.
*
– Switch Trick Lv2
If the skill activation had been even a moment slower, I would have been caught right there. As a result, I drained about 90% of my mana.
Even with my exhausted body, I managed to reach my dorm with my back to Luska. It would have been normal to rush to the infirmary if I were severely injured.
‘That professor has keen insight.’
Professor Stella, an expert in medicine, would surely figure out the cause of Luska’s injuries.
Realizing that it was a thug’s doing, she would ask me various questions since I found Luska.
It would only make things more bothersome for me, and there was nothing good that could come from this escalating situation.
In the case of Jenny’s broken ribs, it was an injury that could easily be covered as a monster attack.
In contrast, Luska’s injuries were clearly inflicted by a human.
Even I could see numerous cut marks from a blade.
“How did it come to this?”
I deeply sighed as I laid Luska on the bed. Thankfully, there were two beds in the room.
Originally, this 3rd Star Hall isn’t a structure that can be considered a one-room.
There are only rooms for 2 to 4 people at minimum.
Thus, my room is technically a double room.
Beds and furniture are placed at the left and right ends, with a curtain separating the middle.
It’s completely divided like the 38th parallel.
Thanks to that, it is common for males and females to share a room, resulting in frequent disputes among roommates.
The layout isn’t bad, but the reputation that the 3rd Star Hall is the worst isn’t just empty words.
Unlike the 1st and 2nd Star Halls… the 3rd Star Hall being stuck with a roommate is the most inconvenient.
‘But I’m an exception.’
I was a lucky case.
Thanks to the odd number of students in the 3rd Star Hall, I, being at the tail end, could avoid a roommate.
Technically, it’s all thanks to the former Radon Crawler, but I was grateful I could use a double room all to myself.
I was happy not to have to deal with conflicts like the neighboring room.
But now, with the patient I brought in, who knows how things will unfold.
“Ugh…!”
About five minutes after laying her down, Luska regained consciousness. The pain from the Shadow Brigade remained, causing her to wince the moment she woke up.
“Are you awake?”
“Where is this…?”
Her vision cleared, and our eyes met.
We held a silent stare for several seconds before she narrowed her eyes and scrutinized me.
“What happened? I was definitely…”
“You were floating in the lake, so I fished you out. You flew in and plopped right down.”
“…….”
She stayed quiet, recalling what had happened to her.
She had sensed someone following her on the way home and moved into a deserted forest. Just then, those thugs had attacked her.
Those ghostly figures cloaked in black robes… the very Shadow Brigade she had been searching for.
Upon recognizing them, Luska had instead been pleased and charged at them.
However, they were all seasoned individuals.
Dealing with six of them was quite a strenuous task, and she had suffered critical wounds due to their unpredictable techniques.
After that, her thoughts had gone blank.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What about?”
“Thank you.”
Asked casually, Luska stared at the ceiling without changing her expression. It was deliberately avoiding meeting my gaze.
She realized it too.
That the Radon Crawler had saved her from danger.
If it hadn’t been for him, she would likely have been silenced or had her memories wiped out by them.
But…
“Who asked for you to save me?”
“Goodness. Look at the way you speak.”
Luska responded coldly, turning to lie on her side away from me.
She clearly showed she didn’t want to make eye contact with me.
But I had expected that.
It was unimaginable for someone like her to express gratitude to others.
She was a young fox.
She had survived in a chaotic world where she could only survive by spilling blood.
Caught and used as a tool of war by adults, and feeling great betrayal from her comrades, that fox had come to trust no one.
Even if someone fed her, attempts to pat her or take her in would only earn hissing and being shooed away.
That defense mechanism was so extreme that it shaped her current self.
Thus, my act of rescuing her must feel quite unfamiliar.
“Why go through the trouble of saving someone like me?”
“To put it bluntly… I want to get closer?”
<Erosion Rate Decrease: -1%>
[+100 Credits]
“That’s ridiculous. Have you already forgotten what happened in the practical exam? Do you not remember who attacked you and Jenny?”
“Well, I apologized for that already. Plus, I faced a proper consequence by being suspended, so that’s settled, right?”
“Even so, wanting to be friendly isn’t something you can use lightly.”
Honestly, even though I said it, it seemed quite unnatural. We weren’t at that level yet where we could chat freely like Jenny or Mary.
From her personality, the idea of us growing closer was as difficult as picking stars from the sky.
She found meaning in nothing other than revenge.
“I should go… urgh!”
“Don’t move. You’re all covered in wounds, and if you push yourself more, you could bleed out.”
“Get away! Who do you think you are worrying about me? I don’t have time to loaf around in a place like this.”
Luska brushed my hand away and tried to move her leg, only to let out a pained gasp.
Looking closely, the wounds on her lower body were the most severe. It was impossible for her to walk like this.
“Where do you think you’re going with that leg?”
“Dammit!”
“And this scarf.”
“Oh, that is…!”
Seeing the scarf she always wore now in my hand, her eyes widened in surprise.
She attempted to move her leg to snatch it back, but… again, she expressed pain and failed.
“Give it to me now!!”
Unable to move, she raised her voice in a scream. With something so precious snatched away, it was only natural she wouldn’t remain calm.
– Be quiet. They’ll hear you in the next room.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to use this as leverage against you. But I need to keep it to ensure you stay calm.”
Saying this, I placed the scarf on the top drawer on the opposite end.
Luska reached for it, but her hand couldn’t touch it from that distance.
In a fit of rage, she pounded the bed with her fist.
……!!-
Fortunately, the shock was absorbed, so it didn’t make a loud noise.
Only then did she give up, covering her face with her arm as she lay down. Grinding her teeth in frustration at her helplessness.
“How long are you planning to keep me here?”
“I want to send you back once you’re healed, but I don’t even know when that will be. For now, I’ll only keep you until the weekend. If you really dislike it, I could take you to Professor Stella.”
“That won’t do.”
She immediately rejected it, asking why.
Luska then stated.
“You must have seen at least one of my wounds when you brought me back. Then it should be obvious, even without the professor, that this wasn’t done by some monster.”
Since I already knew, I didn’t need to say much. Anyone with even a hint of awareness would realize her injuries were the doing of a human.
That someone within the academy had deliberately attacked Luska.
Even without calling for an official duel, the professors wouldn’t stand idly by if a student got injured carelessly.
“Of course, if the professors flipped the academy upside down, they could catch whoever did it. If they invested a great deal of time, that is. But considering it’s finals period, do you think they would have the luxury for that?”
No way.
What if they suddenly conducted campus-wide searches during that critical time and it interfered with the exams?
“And think about who’s at the academy right now. The vice principal wouldn’t want to show Elder Enviel the chaotic state of his academy.”
The process for capturing those thugs was quite complex as well.
They were perfectly disguised, requiring full attention to be searched for.
They even cleverly manipulated their memories to bypass lie detectors.
If all their focus was on catching such an annoying squad, what would happen to the preparations for the final evaluations?
Ultimately, it would disrupt the operation of the academy and bring forth new variables to the main story.
“I don’t care how this school runs, but it would be a wasted effort to expose it. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“The more I hear, the more I wonder who those guys are that made you like this.”
<Erosion Rate Decrease: -1%>
[+100 Credits]
“That’s it. Those are the people you must never know about. And they are obstacles I must definitely break through.”
“So, that means they’re targeting you too.”
“…….”
Given that there had been a conflict this time, they would surely be aiming for Luska.
They’d likely be sneaking into her dorm right about now, ransacking the academy, so she would need a place to hide.
“It’d be best to stay hidden here for a while. If they notice you, you’re pretty much done for.”
“What?”
“Besides, this room was originally meant for two. Even though you’ll be skipping classes, since you’re in Class A, the penalty won’t be that harsh.”
“What do you mean it’s good! If that happens, you’ll be in danger too!”
Luska shouted angrily, which wasn’t entirely untrue. As long as she wasn’t caught, at least.
I took a back path when I came here, so I went unnoticed by anyone.
So there was no need to worry about witnesses.
“Didn’t you tell me? That you’ll use any means necessary for your goals? So, why are you suddenly worrying about me?”
“…….”
“You must have a reason for enrolling in the academy as well. So just rest easy. I’ll go out and bring back dinner.”
There was only enough food for one person in the room. I put on my shoes to head out the door.
At that moment, Luska abruptly asked me to stop.
“Wait! Why are you helping me? What have I done to deserve this much from you?”
Hearing those words, my hand paused from opening the door but I decided to push it aside.
“That… I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“Hey…!”
Clank—
As the door shut, Luska lay down in an expansive position, her heart desolate.
It felt very strange. How long had it been since I received help like this?
I had no choice but to help Luska.
If she didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be able to clear this chapter.
She was the only key to stop Angela, who had awakened as a Nine-Tailed Fox. And a descendant of the ‘Yohos,’ who inherited a strong body from the Thousand-Year Fox long ago.
That was the role of Luska’s existence.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer.